When I was young, all the politicians looked like ancient Latin teachers or greengrocers. They were mumbly, stumbly men with their hair blowing in their eyes, walking into trees, opening the wrong door. They had no idea how to present themselves.

Organic? I grew up on Angel Delight. We didn't have anything in the house if it wasn't neon!

I'm very drawn to Eastern Europe, so I like a Hungarian writer who wrote in French called Emil Cioran; he was always good for giving me such a stir.

I don't know that you're able to measure your aggregate wisdom as you go through life. I can't say that I ever feel that I'm sitting on top of a growing mound of wisdom.

One thing that's coming up a lot is: are you as grumpy as you appear from this Black Books thing.

I'm a quitter. I come from a long line of quitters. It's amazing I'm here at all.

I’ve always been a big consumer of American journalism over the years and had an interest in the history of it and of the press in America; how it has changed.